The Windsor Style

Customer Reviews:

A View Inside A Shrine to Self.......1998-03-23

The Windsors, while they were living, epitomized style, glamour, and wit. Ultimately theirs was a wasted life, empty of meaning in the end. From the heady days of their scandalous romance, life was all downhill, a private struggle to conserve their dignity in the aftermath of the abdication. To fill this emptiness and lack of purpose in life, the Duchess obsessed on perfection; of herself, of the things she collected and of the table she set. The Windsor's sous chef spent hours sorting salad leaves into leaves of exactly the same size to be set before their guests. Their relationship was a hollow recreation of the childhood the Duke never could leave behind. Moulin de la Tuilerie, their country home outside of Paris, was the York Cottage of Edward's youth reborn. Wallis herself was Queen Mary, obsessively arranging the display of small objets and cosseting the little boy who was King. A long time servant said, "They had nothing and no-one. They were just two lonely old people." Suzy Menkes takes the reader on an interesting tour through not only of the tangible objects of this relationship, but of the relationship itself.

The Private World of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor

Average customer rating:

A kings story
Vapid, yes...though totally fascinating...
finally a sneak peek into their very private world
too much to pay for a couple with zero to offer

The Private World of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor
Hugo Vickers
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0789202263

Customer Reviews:

A kings story.......2002-12-08

I felt sorry for the duke, he must have been such a lonely man.....He never got any compliments from his father or his family. They all seemed so far away from each other. No wonder he fell in love with Wallis, she paid attention to him, this is what he needed, someone to treat him with respect and high regard, no wonder he abdicated....He wouldn't have to abdicate,but the P.M. at that time was a very vicious and ugly person who was JEALOUS of King Edward, he wouldn't even allow the king to speak to the other members on his own behalf...Queen Mum was also jealous and vicious, she did not like Wallis, because she was divorced and an american, she would not allow King George to communicate with the duke after he was exiled. The people all wanted King Edward to become King, they all loved him because of his charistma and his feelings for the common people.Edward and Diana were very much alike and treated VERY BADLY by their so called "royal families". Edward and Diana had more "guts" than all the royals together. King Edward would have been a "great" king, thanks to Queen Mum and her coldness toward Edward and Wallis caused him to live in an empty wrld. All the worl loves "lovers"and the Duke and Duchess were the lovers of the 20th century. How many people can have such a love????????I really loved this book and read it over and over.....

Vapid, yes...though totally fascinating..........2001-03-12

I can't help it. Even though I believe that the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor were probably two of the most self-serving people ever to exist on the face of the planet, I find them totally fascinating. And this book lets us into their domaine. Imagine a man so totally mesmerized by this woman, that not only did he leave her a fresh flower on her pillow every night of their married life, he slept surrounded by photos of her (separate bedrooms). There were 10,000 photos of them in his bathtub (covered with a mahogany top. He ONLY showered.) that were discovered after her death. That means for the duration of the time that they were married, they were photographed approximately 300 times a year. Every year. The photographs of the refurbished decor in the Paris house were fascinating. Too bad everything was sold after Dodi & Diana's death. This book is truly a window into a lifestyle that no longer exists.

finally a sneak peek into their very private world.......1999-09-08

I was very impressed with the photography and the information contained in this book. Wallis Simpson is amazing, she comes off as more chic and more royal than any of the royals. Fascinating inside look into that very glamorous era, and it's most powerful couple.

too much to pay for a couple with zero to offer.......1998-04-03

It is beyond me how any person with a functioning brain could ever find the Windsors more than the most over publicized, most tedious couple who ever inhabited the pages of People Magazine and its predecessors. What is even more alarming is that there are people willing to pay $67.50 for a book of pictures of the duke, the duchess and their collection of stuff. Pardon me for my rant, but I needed to do it. I don't think I've ever typed out my feeings on this subject before. I've ranted about this couple more than I wish to admit.. but, hell, we all have our quirks.

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DUCHESS OF WINDSOR
A RARE FIND
A RARE FIND
A Visually Stunning Masterpiece!

The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor
John Culme , and Nicholas Rayner
Manufacturer: Rizzoli Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0865650896

Customer Reviews:

DUCHESS OF WINDSOR.......2006-11-06

This is a great book on one of the great private jewelry collections of all time. The images in this book are the benchmark for this kind of book and the text is highly informative. The Duchess had impeccable taste and the Duke indulged her at every turn. Not a piece this woman owned was anything but the epitomy of elan and elegance, it was no wonder that her jewel auction brought out royals and the famous, I especially appreciated the breathtaking Prince of Wales feather's broach bought by Elizabeth Taylor, no surprise that this woman of singular taste would buy the best piece from the collection of a lady with dare I say even better taste. Great book, highly recommended.

A RARE FIND.......1999-12-22

THE JEWELS OF THE DUCHESS OF WINDSOR 1st edition,is a lush vicarious view of the golden age of royalty. The illustrations are breathtaking, done by some of the world's most famous photographers including Lord Snowdon..a marvelous addition to any collection.

A RARE FIND.......1999-12-22

A Visually Stunning Masterpiece!.......1997-08-02

I adore this book! It's an oversize publication which increases the beauty of the photography. The photos of the Duchess'jewelry are breathtaking, and it also provides a full account of the famed auction, including the amounts paid for the jewelry. There are great pictures of celebrities who purchased some of the pieces. There's even a stunning photo of Liz Taylor wearing the Prince of Wales Plume Pin for which she paid over $500,000. It also recounts the story of their lives along with pictures, including copies of newspaper clippings during the abdication. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Duke and Duchess or the forthcoming auction of the Windsor's household possessions at Sothebys. This book is the jewel in my collection of royal books!

Dancing with the Devil: The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue

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Good writing...
Take it to the beach...
I'd had hopes, but...
Juicy subject, Pedestrian treatment
Wonderful!

Dancing with the Devil: The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue
Christopher Wilson
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312288964

Amazon.com

It shouldn't be a fascinating read, this book--it really shouldn't. It's just higher gossip about how Wallis Simpson took a younger lover after her marriage to Edward, and how she and said lover enjoyed nights of "nonpenetrative and principally oral sex." I mean, who cares? Shouldn't our minds be on higher things?

The trouble is, it's all absolutely fascinating. The lover was the mad, bad, and dangerous-to-know Jimmy Donahue: grandson of Woolworth's founder Frank W. Woolworth, heir to millions, and considered to be dashingly good-looking. (From the photos in the book, he looks a bit like a baby-faced bore, but maybe having those millions in the bank skewed perceptions of him, somewhat.) Donahue could fly a plane, could speak several languages, was a marvelous raconteur, and, on top of all this, was a promiscuous homosexual. That didn't stop him from forming a passionate friendship with Wallis, however, that soon turned into more than mere friendship. Wilson suggests that this constituted, on Wallis's part, perhaps "the greatest betrayal in history." Edward gave up his throne and kingdom for the woman he loved, only to have her take off with another man. However, it was never quite so simple as this. Edward didn't want a normal sexual relationship with Wallis, really--he got all of the satisfaction he wanted from playing with her feet--while she evidently continued to adore him, even if she found that the need for sexual satisfaction drove her into Donahue's arms. It might even have been that Edward knew, but didn't mind. The whole thing reads like some kind of royal soap opera, and, as such, it's absolutely riveting. --Christopher Hart, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

The story of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor is one of the most romantic of all time: Edward VIII abdicated his throne and gave up an empire so that he could marry the woman he loved, American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Very few people suspected, and even fewer actually knew, that the Duchess cuckolded him-and almost gave him up-for a gay playboy twenty years her junior.Blond and slender, Jimmy Donahue was the archetypal post-war playboy. He could fly a plane, speak several languages, play the piano, and tell marvelous jokes. People loved him for his wit, charm and personality. The grandson of millionaire Frank W. Woolworth, Jimmy knew he would never need to work. Instead, he set about carving for himself a career of mischief. Some said evil. Gay at a time when the homosexual act was still illegal, Jimmy was notorious within America's upper class, and loved to shock. Though press agents arranged for him to be seen with female escorts, his pursuits, until he met the Duchess of Windsor, were exclusively homosexual. He was thirty-five when he was befriended by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in 1950. The Duchess was fifty-four, and despite the difference in age, there was an instant attraction. A burgeoning sexual relationship - a perverse sort of love - was formed between Jimmy and the Duchess. Together with the Duke, they became an inseparable trio, the closest of friends. As Jimmy had planned, the royal couple became obsessed with him.With information from surviving contemporaries, Dancing with the Devil is the extraordinary tale of three remarkable people and their unique and twisted relationship.

Customer Reviews:

Good writing..........2003-05-22

But, the story is so tawdry & Jimmy Donahue so scurvy, it's a hard read. The author presents information about his upbringing that tries to make you feel a little sympathy for Donahue but it's hard to feel sympathy for such a loser. The Duke & Duchess of Windsor were wastes of human beings, too. The more you read about them the more discouraged you get. What wasted opportunities! They could have done so much good but were such selfish, self-centered & STUPID people. No wonder the Royal Family can't stand to hear their names mentioned. The book reads kind of like a prolonged Dominick Dunne article in Vanity Fair.

Take it to the beach..........2003-02-08

OK, so the author isn't going to win the Nobel Prize for Literature for this book. But why should he? It's a book about an affair. A tawdry affair at that.

Initially, I payed attention to the other reviewers and didn't buy the book. But I have a fascination with Wallis and Edward (as vapid as they might have been...)and wanted to know more about Wallis' relationship with Jimmy Donohue. I must have read at least 10 to 15 books about the couple, and despite what the one of the reviewers said, I've only come across a few rare references to him. This book fills in the gaps.

So is it great literature? No. Is it an interesting book? Yes, if you like the subject matter, and know something about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to begin with. I enjoyed the book.

I'd had hopes, but..........2001-03-27

This book doesn't do much more than re-hash rumor, gossip and innuendo--and some facts--that I've already read in better-written, more thorough and scholarly biographies of the Windsors. I didn't notice any glaring inaccuracies; on the other hand, I didn't notice that the author broke any new ground. He seems to have relied heavily on previously published biographies of the Duke, the Duchess, and the British Royal Family in general, all of which a serious Windsorite will have already read. Also--let's face it--we read books like this one to be titillated, and the author fails utterly to titillate us. Save your money.

Juicy subject, Pedestrian treatment.......2001-01-26

You'd think an author couldn't go wrong with this cast of characters, ultra chic jet set locations, and deliciously lewd sex play. But Christopher Wilson took all this potential and and threw it away with the writing style of a schoolboy whose book report was carelessly dashed off before class. Repetitive adjectives, lackluster prose, and unintelligible chapter beginnings and ends - I was hollering for the editor the entire read. I kept saying aloud "OK, that's a start, but now let's unearth some real dish, and show me the proof!" Gossip CAN be transformed into history with proper scholarship. This promising biography of three fascinatingly spoiled and twisted people disappointed me.

Wonderful!.......2001-01-16

3Dancing With the Devil : The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue2 is a sweeping adventure of scandal and euphoria among glitzy cafe society, adeptly brought to life by biographer Christopher Wilson.

In this case, the name 3Donahue,2 is directly related to a very famous name: Woolworth. When 35 & 102 chainstore mogul Frank Winfield Woolworth died in 1919, he left as part of his substantial legacy great hopes for his cherubic grandchildren. He visualized his heirs evolving into hardworking, benefic, God-fearing, and rational adults. But alas, if he did happen to look down from the heavens years later, I know that several of his descendants would have provoked a disgruntled sigh; including the spendthrift, serial divorcee Barbara Hutton...

But the mischievous, downright extraordinary exploits of his grandson Jimmy Donahue would have sent Woolworth longing for Divine intervention. The fact is that, the only thing Frank Woolworth and his grandson Jimmy shared (other than a notable gene pool) was a compulsion for the spotlight.

That compulsion, along with a host of others (some advantageous, most unsavory) are unveiled in this wonderful, fast-paced book. In Dancing With the Devil, we meet dashing Jimmy Donahue, a man who had entirely too much free time on his hands, and entirely too much money at his disposal. We learn that Jimmy1s access to money, along with his excessive adoration for luxury, his psychological baggage (he even witnessed the suicide of his manic depressive and bisexual father) and the questionable role model Jimmy found in his jetsetting mother --all combined to create an intriguing, complex and colorful personality. Wilson depicts an international playboy who defied reigning sexual taboos and balked at authority, yet was sometimes ridden by deep guilt. Donahue exhibited such random amounts of innocent rakishness and sensual greed; of hearfelt generosity and rash wastefulness-- that even his closest contemporaries were not sure what to think of him.

Wilson expertly peppers his historical accounts with authentic detail, smoothly leading us into post WWII Paris, then sweeping us back to the United States to the playgrounds of Palm Beach and Long Island. Clearly, Wilson did a great deal of research on this book, conducting scores of interviews and tracking down hard to find information.

Of course, Wilson1s readers are also treated to little known details about the odd triangle between Jimmy Donahue and the Windsors, thus providing an interesting account of the last untold episode in their lives.

Book Description

"Deeply researched, valuable."
-The New York Times Book Review

"A shocker . . . stunning . . . absolutely hypnotic. . . . A world of beautiful houses, ceaseless travel, trendsetting fashion, and powerful figures. . . . Fascinating revelations."
-Cosmopolitan

Wallis, the Duchess of Windsor, was one of the most famous women in history, the American divorcée who captured the King of England, Edward VIII, and cost him his throne. Until Charles Higham's 1.3 million-copy bestseller, much of her life was a glamorous mystery. Now, fifteen years later, major new documentary evidence, classified at the time, makes for a book far more sensational than the original bestseller. Drawing from long-suppressed archives in France, England, and the United States, Higham has uncovered the duchess's passionate affair with a top-ranking political figure, the duke's romantic involvement with a male equerry, the secret radio broadcasts the couple made to Hitler, and the blackmail plot in Paris that almost brought them-and the British royal family-to ruin. This updated new edition of The Duchess of Windsor is essential reading.

"Higham's best. . . . Serious, deliciously fresh . . . documented by newly opened secret government files in the U.S. and England."
-Kirkus Reviews

"Smooth and entertaining."
-The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

"An excellent biography . . . alert to every nuance."
-The London Sunday Telegraph

Customer Reviews:

A Story of Ambition And Greed, .......2006-03-01

How History portrays Edward V111 and Mrs Simpson will probably vary somewhat - but this book from Charles Higham is an excellent starting point for history buffs.
With the passing of time, more and documents are being made available for perusal from a wide range of sources. The Governments of Britain,Germany, Austria and Italy for starters.
Then add Buckingham Palace letters and documents,and the views of FDR and the Whitehouse staff, Winston Churchill,Hitler et al.
The level of research can make or break a biography and this one succeeds because of Higham's thoroughness.
It has always been clear to me that the Duchess had no idea what she was embarking on when she became involved with Prince Edward.
She was vilified,loathed, shut off from the Royal family.
At various times during her life she experienced real despair and
depression.
Their lives became empty and meaningless - just endless rounds of entertaining and being entertained.
Many of the upper class in England were Nazi sympathisers, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were no exception.
It was this allegiance that was the root cause of all their problems, as British and American spys kept abreast of their activities,their friendships and of course the notoriety they received when visiting Germany did not go unnoticed.
It was because of this concern they were in effect banished to
the Bahamas and had their requests to travel abroad refused or at least severely curtailed.
The Duke seemed to forget the promises he made when he abdicated. He was born to be King and the reality of NOT being King was something he never managed to adjust to. He thought that he and Wallis would return to England to live but his support of Germany and plotting with the Germans to again become King should Britain lose the war, was well known to George V1 and to Churchill, and thus a return to his homeland became an impossibility.
The most revealing access to the character of the Duchess of Windsor were in her letters to her Aunt Bessie. On one occasion she was complaining bitterly about the Bahamas, and the house etc, never once mentioning the war and the hard times people were experiencing.
On another occasion a visiting British friend mentioned the London bombings, loss of life etc and the Duchess' response was along the lines of why should she care, the British had made her life hell and she would never forgive them etc.
Interestingly enough, Wallis was regarded as a spy of long standing, and her later annual trips to America were viewed with alarm by the US government and she was constantly under surveillance.
Both the Windsors spoke fluent German and yet despite living in France for many years,they knew only a few words of French.
This book shows Wallis as a woman of expensive tastes,very chic
beautifully groomed, and a fine hostess of great taste and style.
Many who knew them well noted that the Duke was besotted by her
but she less so with him. Then again, when his final illness struck him down, the Duchess of Windsor was there for the Duke until the last.

The little American Lady.......2005-11-14

This book came out about 12 years ago and it was presented in a beautiful hardcover jacket.I read it as a novel and it fascinated me.The writing and the pictures are great.The story on the other hand is about this unpleasant and ugly woman, who stole the heart of a king.Mr. Higham wrote it beautifully,unfortunately she was not a very likeable person.Whether some of the stories are true or not, we shall never know. Like the duke running around in diapers....Read it if you are interested in British History.Sadly Wallis is in it.The Duke on the other hand gave an impression of being somebody without character, extremely weak,and a puppet in Simpson's hands.

An overblown, cliche-ridden biography of an unpleasant woman.......1998-04-28

"The Duchess of Windsor: The Secret Life" purports to shed scandalous light on the life and times of Wallis Warfield Spencer Simpson Windsor. Higham paints the Duchess as a sometime spy, a Nazi-sympathizing party girl, and the dominating figure in the life of her weak, dim husband. At the same time, he touts her vaunted personal charm, fashionable elegance, and supposed genuine affection for the man who surrendered his throne to marry her.

Unfortunately, the author's slapdash writing (replete with repetitive facts and anecdotes and endlessly laced with self-congratulatory details of his mostly unrevealing research) mean that "The Secret Life" doesn't even read well as mindless escapism. Higham's great revelations -- that the Duchess faked some details of her life as a military wife in China, and that the Windsors' contacts with various Fascist sympathizers were more substantial than they themselves were willing to reveal -- are hardly surprising in the context of a life devoted almost entirely to self-gratification and hedonistic consumption.

Customer Reviews:

wishful thinking, i think.......2006-07-02

very disappointed in mr king who has done so well in writing about the last russian imperial family; here he makes assumptions about the thoughts, feelings, and motives of wallis which are insubstantial. i believe he is correct in writing of humiliations inflicted on both the duke and duchess by the british royals, however he describes the independent spirit of the duchess--where is it evident? she spent her life living off of others: her uncle, her husbands, married couples who provided her with temporary homes over and over, and finally, the duke and his money and gifts. much of their story appears to have been glossed over--and his assesrtions of her famous wit are hardly in evidence. money has a way of making your clothing choices and home decorating flawless--how can you miss when the best advisors are at your fingertips? this was a boring read, and the poor duke comes off looking like a common fop; actually that makes them a good pair--she was common but glazed with his heritage and a big crowed of sycophants. so, so, sorry for him.
susan wells
albuquerque nm

At last a fair & balanced look at this fascinating woman!!!.......2006-01-06

Greg King has at last given us a fair and balanced look at the amazing life of the Duchess Of Windsor. Other books by Higham and Donaldson portrayed her as this heartless, conniving, manipulative witch, accusing her of everything but the holacaust, and world hunger.

However Mr. King has given us a in depth look at the life of this woman, and digs beneath the Buckingham Palace vendetta of the Queen Mother, and the lies, and innuendoes spread about this woman for years, without any regard for the truth by someone who should have known better.

Without a doubt interesting reading, and it will change your mind on her, as it did on me, and open up a look at a life lived to the fullest by this fascinating & complex woman.

Too long..........2005-05-11

Thorough, but long, biography of the late Duchess. I think King needed a tougher editor to tighten up the book, as there is a lot of repetition about certain areas of the Duchess' life (such as the abdication crisis) that have been covered in many other books. It's a good read, but it is too long (over 500 pages, not counting the notes and index!).

Fasctual Errors.......2002-03-09

I was disappointed at the factual errors in this book as well as the poor proofreading. On the edition I read the jacket itself refers to Edward as King Edward VII rather than King Edward VIII. The name of Wallis's chauffeur is spelled both Ladbrook and Ladbrooke on successive pages. The decorator Stephan Boudin is said to be with the Maison Jensen rather than Maison Janson. The most egregious error was on p. 395 where the author states that the motto of the Prince of Wales is "Dieu et mon Droit" when the correct motto is "Ich Dien."
One hopes these errors were corrected in subsequent editions of this book.

Uncommon life, uncommon love.......2001-12-15

Greg King's thoroughly-researched and highly readable biography of the Duchess of Windsor's life is simply excellent! At the outset the author explains that his book is a "sympathetic" portrait of the Duchess, and is not a re-hashing of old gossip and rumors.

Rather, this is a very balanced and highly interesting look at not only the lives of the Duke and Duchess, but of the time and world they inhabited with such joie de vivre, glamour and above all, humor and compassion for others. So many books have emphasized the lavish lifestyle, the Duchess' wardrobe and jewels, her society friends, etc. Here, we are privy to the other side of their lives: one in which Wallis and Edward devoted enormous amounts of their personal time and money to helping those persons less fortunate than themselves. Of particular interest is their years spent in the Bahamas, when the Duke was Governor-General, and Wallis spent years coordinating efforts to improve the lives of native Bahamians. It is sad that Buckingham Palace ignored not only their charitable efforts, which the British Royal Family is so eager to promote in the UK with their "Civil Duties", but that Edward's brother, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth (now the Queen Mother) ensured that Edward and Wallis were not allowed to represent the Royal Family within the UK itself. King George lived in great fear that their popularity with the common people of Britain (and all over the world) would usurp his authority as monarch supreme.

All in all this is a story to be remembered for all time.

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The Eternal Masquerade: Prints and Paintings by Gerald Leslie Brockhurst (1890-1978) from the Jacob Burns Foundation
Romita Ray , and Gerald Leslie Brockhurst
Manufacturer: Georgia Museum of Art
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0915977591

Product Description

This scholarly examination of the prints and paintings of Gerald Leslie Brockhurst (1890-1978) accompanied the exhibition of the same name at the Georgia Museum of Art from August 12-October 8, 2006 and contains many, many full-color illustrations. Divided into three sections, the book delves into the relationship among Brockhurst's paintings of his two wives, his portraits of society men and women, and his artistic influences, which included Renaissance and Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood painters. Ray also discusses how Brockhurst fit into the modern art scene at the time, including the world of Hollywood glamour photography.

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Great books
Fact more fascinating than fiction
The Spy Went Dancing
An Amazing Mystery - And it Really Happened!
An Addictive Page-Turner!

The Spy Went Dancing
Countess of Romanones Aline
Manufacturer: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 039913509X

Customer Reviews:

Great books.......2007-03-20

I have purchased 4 books by Aline Romanos. I absolutely love them. The fact that there is truth behind the story and that she really was an upper-class lady as well as a spy excites me. I find myself wishing I lived an adventurous life. She has a talent when it comes to recreating her life and exploits. I could not put it down!

Fact more fascinating than fiction.......2002-10-06

I can only echo the words of the previous reviewers! Countess Aline's books (...Wore Red, ...Went Dancing - so far!) are compelling, and I was truly absorbed from beginning to end! When I finished the first, I couldn't wait to start the second - and now I'm impatient to get the third - "...Wore Silk" - from my sister! I had to keep reminding myself that she would NOT be killed, as she was alive to write these books! And her ability to manage the pertepual romantic current with no "smut" is impressive! Her description of "masculine hands," the brush of lips on her ear, or the mention of leg-to-leg contact during the tango says it all! But beyond that, she teaches so much about Spanish customs and culture, from the attraction of bull fighting to how on earth they manage the high combs and mantillas, to daily routine, meal times, siesta - she never stops. How can this remarkable strong female hero be of the same generation as my mother?

The Spy Went Dancing.......2002-06-08

Fascinating. My daughter is reading "The Spy Who Wore Red" and finds it fascinating as well.

An Amazing Mystery - And it Really Happened!.......2001-07-30

My mom first gave me this book to read back when I was in high school. I recently picked it up again at the library to take with me on vacation - and was once again drawn into this amazing - and real life - mystery. In fact, I enjoyed the book so much I almost didn't want to leave my hotel room until I finished it (which didn't make my brothers too happy)! Aline weaves mystery and international intrigue with a jet-setting lifestyle as she hob-nobs with the likes of Liz Taylor and Audrey Hepburn while trying to solve a mystery that's haunted her for 20 years! I'm just starting her next book, "The Spy Wore Silk" and reccommend that anyone who loves a good mystery (and don't we all?) should check out Aline's books. They're absolutely addictive, and, in this case, that's a good thing.

An Addictive Page-Turner!.......1998-07-12

If you are a fan of spy stories & stories about people in 'high society', this is the perfect book for you. I lost many hours of sleep over this one!

The book chronicles the author's double life as an undercover OSS agent in Spain who was to ultimately become the wife of a Spanish count.

I found it very interesting to read about how she lived & conducted herself as a young American lady who was sent to Spain, at the age of 21, to infiltrate high society. Her purpose being to help thwart various coups & assasinations, yet making sure that she never gave herself away.

All of the following words come to mind when reading this book: intrigue; cloak & dagger; gripping; thrilling; glamor; elegance; opulance.

This is a book you wouldn't be embarassed to give as a gift or to let a young person read: it's SMUT-FREE. A fantastic read that I especially enjoyed while lying on the beach in Mexico!

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